Nokia to exit Japan by August

Nokia stopped supplying mobile phones to Japanese carriers in 2008, but was still operating a phone service and some high-end Vertu mobile phone stores in Tokyo. The Nikkei paper reported that the company close the stores, located in Tokyo's Shibuya and Ginza districts by July's end.

Additionally, Nokia's phone service in Japan will be discontinued at the end of August as a contract with NTT DoCoMo Inc. (from which it leased the network infrastructure) ends. Nokia's Tokyo office will remain upon until the end of the year to handle fee returns and other matters.

Nokia sold Vertu high-end mobile phones in Japan for years. Manufactured by hand in the UK, Vertu handsets use precious metals in their design, such as gold, sapphire (used for screen) and rubies.

The luxury handsets sold for between ¥600,000 ($7,450) and ¥20,000,000 ($248,354) each.